What's the law with stealing with a minor and what might happen to me? 7 Answers as of May 10, 2013

I was recently caught shoplifting with a minor, I'm 19 and he's 13. I didn't intend to steal anything, I went in to get some new shorts but saw clothes I liked and went to there, al the sudden the 13 year old I was with started taking stuff and we both placed the $279 worth of stuff in my backpack and walked out. When we walked out we got stopped by kohl’s security and taken to a room where they kept us for 5 hours. They then started telling the 13 year old to tell the cop that I touched him so I can get in even more trouble. They also said that they have seen me before in a white car, in which I don't even drive a white car nor have I ever arrived in one. When the cop arrived he pulled me aside and started asking if I've ever had any type of sex with, I never have. The cop gave me my court date and let me go a couple days later I got a civil letter from kohl’s asking for $225. I know this is a lot I just wanted to explain everything that happened. I just wanted to know what's the law with stealing with a minor and what might happen to me? I'm a full time student and have a minimum wage job.

Ask a Local Attorney. 100% Anonymous. Free Answers.

You need to get a lawyer, whether appointed or retained. Fight this matter and see if they will offer something where you end up with no criminal record. A criminal record is forever. What employer wants to hire a thief?

Petty theft is a crime of moral turpitude, and if convicted, you can kiss your university and career aspirations goodbye. Hire a lawyer before you forget you have the right to remain silent and start incriminating yourself with your mouth.

You have a lot going against you and I will try to explain what you are looking at. Depending on the amount allegedly stolen and the jurisdiction where the event occurred, shoplifting can be met with a mere citation (infraction), or charged as a misdemeanor or even a felony, with possible jail sentences of 6 months to 3 years. It will be up to the D.A. to determine how the crime will be charged. Since you had a minor with you at the time, you can also be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. You never stated what the relationship was between you and the 13 year old. With regards to the civil letter from Kohls, as a rule, I advise clients to ignore these civil demand letters. Unless you signed some agreement to pay this store, you owe them nothing. In order for you to owe them something they would have to sue you and win. However, It would cost them much more to sue you than they can ever hope to recover so they usually don't pursue it. With that in mind, I would advise that they can still take legal action against you by filing suit in small claims court. If you ignore these actions, a default judgment will be entered against you. So, although you can ignore the civil demand letter, do not ignore anything that comes from a court. I suggest that you hire an experienced criminal defense attorney to represent you and get you the best deal possible.

You might face charges including theft, conspiracy, and contributing to the condition of a minor. Ultimately, sentencing depends on whether you're found guilty, your record, how serious these are in the court's eyes, mitigation, and allocution.

You're clearly going to be charged with retail fraud or shoplifting, it, if you're convicted and do not enter into some form of diversionary program, will go down on your record and cause you future problems until it can be expunged. You could also potentially be charged with contributing to delinquency of a minor. Apparently there is also some suspicion that you may have been involved in some form of sexual activity with a 13-year-old, which would be chargeable as statutory rape. You need to engage in attorney and try to minimize the damages which you're going to suffer because of this occurrence.

Ask a Local Attorney

Disclaimer: The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or should be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on the site are paid attorney advertisements. Your access of/to and use of this site is subject to additional Supplemental Terms.